Without Pretense
by The Crimson Letter
Summary: What if Scarlett and Rhett set aside their pride to truly understand one another? And if this realization happened in time to save their marriage? An adaptation of the famous love affair beginning at the stairs scene before the miscarriage.
1. Chapter 1

"Scarlett! Master Rhett and Bonnie are home!" Mammy rushed up the first few steps of the lavishly furnished staircase before clutching onto the banister. "Scarlett!" The woman in question had already hastened to the top of the stairs, with her petticoat showing beneath the unfastened buttons of her lavender gown. "'Tis scandalous to be seen in such a state!" But the front door was already inching open. Mammy stared at Scarlett in horror while Scarlett regarded the heavy oak door with a mixture of delight and apprehension.

Her dear Bonnie was finally returning home…she had missed her daughter's shrill but sweet laugh, and the way her beautiful dark curls bounced over her blue riding dress when she galloped on her small pony. She even missed Bonnie's temperamental nature and wild desire for attention.

And of course, there was Rhett. Scarlett refused to admit that she was fond of his impudent manner, but she longed for their quick banter and the caresses that bordered on being indecent. Why, if he were nice to her, she would even forgive him taking Bonnie away without warning.

She knew Rhett would be thrilled by her secret. She couldn't bear to think otherwise. Oh yes, Rhett would be delighted at the news and he would lavish her with marvelous gowns and sparkling, expensive jewelry. That would show the old gossiping women of Atlanta! It would prove that Scarlett O'Hara couldn't give a whit about their envious judgment. Scarlett was surprised to realize that this idea did not thrill her as much as it used to. She was reluctant to admit it to herself, but more than anything, she cared about Rhett's opinion. Although it was her initial intention, Scarlett had begun to resent the distance between her and Rhett, and how even addressing him made her feel self-conscious. She yearned for the carefree atmosphere of their honeymoon and the conversations that they had every evening, from tales of his rebellious childhood to the experiences that she had as a privileged Southern belle thrust into the unforgiving war. Much as she'd like to deny it out of a combination of modesty and defiance, Scarlett took pleasure in the quiet intimacy of these discussions. She even regretted demanding separate rooms, but she could hardly go barging into Rhett's bedroom now without completely abandoning her dignity. He was sure to make a scathingly patronizing comment that would make her feel humiliated. It was so easy for him to strip away her defenses and reduce her to the naïve and vulnerable girl that she was before the war.

But the situation was different now. Scarlett had expected to be furious when she discovered that she was with child. Although she was tempted to blame Rhett entirely, she was honest enough to admit that she was far from being inculpable. She had felt guilty for her dalliance with Ashley at the mill and had wanted to apologize, but Rhett had seemed so cold and unfeeling that the words had caught in her throat. The memory of that night of unbridled passion still caused a frisson of anticipation to course through her being.


	2. Chapter 2

The path to the entrance of their garish mansion had never seemed so imposing. For the hundredth time, Rhett wondered what he was thinking – what could possibly have led him to return to this accursed place. He told himself that it was because Bonnie needed a mother, even if Scarlett could hardly care about being one. He thought that his attention would have been enough, but just a few nights away and Bonnie began crying out for Scarlett. Nothing he did could calm her down, not even diverting her attention to the shiny baubles that she loved to play with. Bonnie insisted on finding her mother, and he had always been incapable of denying his child anything that she wanted.

Yes that was part of the reason, but even Rhett could not delude himself into believing that was why he returned. Ever since he had left with Bonnie, he had felt a strong compulsion to turn back, to see how Scarlett was faring in his absence. He needed to know if their separation affected her as much as it did him.

Rhett shook his head ruefully. Oh, what a pair they made. She brought out the worst in him, yet he was hopelessly drawn to her. Sometimes he dared to imagine that things could be right between them, that she would see past his callous defenses if he just gave her a chance.

But in the moments that he softened towards her, expressing a genuine and affectionate compliment, she scoffed at his uncharacteristic behavior and bristled at the assumed gibe. He always marveled at how she could be so oblivious of his feelings for her yet at the same time know his vulnerabilities so well. Her pride wounded, she would lash out at him where it hurt – tearing at the insecurities that he buried beneath a façade of self-assurance. Her careless words always blindsided him and he invariably retreated further into his defenses, concealing his pain by pretending that her words meant nothing. He would taunt her for her avarice and ambition, never mind that those were qualities he greatly admired about her. In that moment, nothing mattered except the need to provoke a reaction, to know that he could still affect her as much as she did him.

He could hear the crackling each time the fragile bridges that they had mended were set ablaze. The ashes were suffocating, yet only fueled the destruction. Reeling from the backlash, Rhett would grasp on to the one thing that was a constant – his stubborn pride. Surveying the ruins, he would destroy the beams left standing, taking grim satisfaction in the way that Scarlett buckled under each caustic remark. They would circle one another warily, seeking to do more damage to the other before somehow emerging unscathed.

Despite intentions of reconciliation, rational thought seemed to elude him whenever Scarlett was around. Their spats would turn into prolonged fights until one of them finally succumbed, tired of the constant strife. This time it was him who had enough, so he took Bonnie and left, far away from the toxic whirlpool that was their home.

Although he made no plans to return, their separations never lasted long because they were drawn to each other, complemented each other in some twisted, incomprehensible way. Shrouded behind their devastating feuds was extraordinary passion - nobody could enrage Rhett the way Scarlett could, but nobody understood him the way she did either. He saw his own hopes and desires reflected in her and he craved how she made him feel so alive.


End file.
